The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz Volume I Part 12

You will easily imagine that while the Sovereign is absent this City is not very gay. It appear'd to me the more melancholy because I had seen it in the time of the late Margrave, at whose Court there was continual Feasting and Jollitry.

The City of _Bareith_ is inferior to _Erlangen_. The Margrave's Palace is a great old Pile, but not very commodious, and meanly furnish'd. This Prince has a very pretty House, a League from _Bareith_, call'd the _Hermitage_, which was built by Order of the late Margrave.

It stands in the middle of a thick Wood, in which there are a great many Pavilions built, without any Symmetry indeed, but very ingeniously contriv'd within for the Use to which they serve. When the late Margrave came to the Hermitage, he and his whole Court were in the Dress of Hermits. There were certain Hours in which the Hermit Brothers went to pay a Visit to the Hermit Sisters, who liv'd in the Pavilions. The Brothers and Sisters who gave each other Collations, were subject to certain Rules from which they could not be dispensed but by the Remission of the Superior of either s.e.x, who were then the Margrave, and his Lady the Margravine. In the Evening they met again in the Hall of the Castle, where they supp'd; and that every thing might be done according to the Rules, at the beginning of the Supper certain Verses were read, or some little Story compos'd by one or other of the Hermit Brothers; then Silence was broke, and every one gave his Opinion upon what had been read, upon which there ensued a general Conversation. The Supper held till pretty late, and was commonly followed with a Ball. No body could be admitted into the Order without the general Consent of the Chapter. And the Superior himself had no Right but to propose such as were Candidates for Admission. To give you all the Statutes of this Society, would be too tedious; besides I should be afraid of adding or diminis.h.i.+ng to them, because I only have them from Tradition.

The Margrave has a Mother still alive, _viz._ _Sophia-Christina_ Countess of _Wolffenstein_, who lives at _Copenhagen_ with her Daughter the Princess Royal[87] of _Denmark_. The King of _Denmark_ grants her the t.i.tle of Royal Highness, and causes the same Honours to be paid to her as to the Princesses of his Family.

The Margrave has also three Brothers and two Sisters. The eldest of the Brothers is a Major-General and Colonel of Foot in the Service of the Emperor, and the two others are in the Service of _Denmark_. The two Princesses are marry'd, one to the Prince Royal of _Denmark_, the other to _George-Albert_ Prince of _East-Friesland_. So that the intire Family of _Brandenbourg-Culmbach_ consists of Princes and Princesses to the number of twelve.

The Revenues of this Margrave are pretty near the same as those of the Margrave of _Ans.p.a.ch_. His Fortress is the Castle of _Pla.s.senberg_.

From _Bareith_ I came in two Days to CARLSBAD, a Place of Fame for its hot Waters, of which there are two Sorts differing from one another both in Strength and Heat. They derive their Source from the middle of a River form'd by Torrents from the neighbouring Mountains, whose Waters are extremely cold; yet they make not the least Alteration in the heat of the Mineral Waters. They are said to be very wholesome for all sorts of Maladies, particularly for the Gravel, and for the Barrenness of Women. M.

_Hofman_, a celebrated Professor of Physic at _Hall_, has published a Treatise, wherein he examines the nature of those Waters, and prescribes how they ought to be used. The Manner is very disagreeable; you are obliged to be shut up in a Room, and be the Weather ever so hot, the Stove must be heated, you must be tormented by taking off two or three Pots of Water, which are almost equal to thirty Chocolate Cups; besides walking about very much, and sweating great Drops.

To make amends for the Fatigue of the Morning, there is good Company to be seen here all Day long; for Abundance of Strangers come to _Carlsbad_, particularly the n.o.bility of _Bohemia_ and _Austria_. There are publick Walks and a great Room adjacent, where they play, dance and walk till the Evening. They who love to live by Rule retire without Supper.

Whoever would be well accommodated at _Carlsbad_ must carry three things thither with him, his own Bed, Wine, and Cook; tho' a Foot-boy may serve for the Cook, because one is generally invited by the _Bohemian_ or _Austrian_ n.o.blemen, who always keep a great Table, and love Company to dine with 'em.

The Inhabitants of _Carlsbad_ are generally Armourers, who work very neat and vastly cheap. At the Season for using the Waters, Merchants flock hither from all Parts, and _Carlsbad_ is superior to many great Towns. I had a great deal of Amus.e.m.e.nt during the two different Seasons that I pa.s.s'd there, and I contracted a World of good Acquaintance, who, I hope, will be of Service to me at _Prague_, for which Place I propose to set out to-morrow. I am, _&c._

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

LETTER XI.

_SIR_, _Prague, November 15, 1729._

I have now been a Month in this City, yet it seems but as a Day; for I find infinite Amus.e.m.e.nts here, and a thousand things that I like, only I want your Company. The City of PRAGUE is ancient, and has been time out of mind, the Seat of the Kings of _Bohemia_. 'Tis without dispute one of the Biggest Towns in _Europe_. 'Tis encompa.s.s'd with Ramparts, and as well fortified as a Place of that Extent can be, and commanded by several Hills, which 'tis impossible to level. This City is divided by the River _Molde_ or _Muldaw_, into two Parts, _viz._ _Old Prague_ and _Little Prague_; and during the Course of the last Century, it suffer'd the greatest Cruelties that a City can possibly undergo in a time of War. The Archduke _Leopold_ Bishop of _Pa.s.sau_ surpriz'd and plunder'd the lesser Part, and would have done the same by the old Town, if the Emperor _Matthias_ King of _Hungary_ had not come in time to relieve it. Nine Years after this, _Prague_ was again plunder'd by those who were most concerned to preserve it; I mean the Imperialists, who, after the Battle at _Weissenberg_, near _Prague_, wherein they defeated _Frederic_ Elector Palatine whom a Party had chose King of _Bohemia_, enter'd the City, and carried off inestimable Booty. _Prague_ was used no better in 1631, by the Elector of _Saxony_, after that Prince made himself Master of _Bohemia_.

The Great _Walstein_ of so much Note for his Glorious Actions, and his Tragical Exit, recover'd _Bohemia_ from the _Saxon_ in 1632, and took _Prague_ by Storm. Some time after this the _Swedes_ attack'd it, and took the lesser _Prague_; but could not force the old Town, it was so courageously defended by the Students and Burghers. The _Swedes_ thereupon retired, and carry'd off immense Wealth. At length the Peace of _Westphalia_ restored Tranquillity to _Bohemia_ and the City of _Prague_, which has been subject ever since to the House of _Austria_; and the Kingdom which before was Elective, had the Mortification to become Hereditary.

The Situation of _Prague_ is pleasant in the midst of Gardens and fine Fields, and 'tis adorn'd with n.o.ble Buildings, of which the Houses of the Counts _Tschernin_ and _Sternberg_ are as fine as any. The Furniture of the former is extremely rich; there is a Gallery adorned with excellent Pictures, a Cabinet of choice Porcellane with entire Services of the finest _Indian Lacca_; and another Room full of fine Arms and other Curiosities. Count _Sternberg_'s House is not so large, yet better contriv'd; and in _Rome_ it self would pa.s.s for a fine Palace. But there is one built by the late Count _de Gallasch_, who died Viceroy at _Naples_, that bears the Bell above all. You know that n.o.bleman was prodigiously rich and magnificent. He spared no Cost in his Buildings.

'Tis pity the House is not well situate, but it certainly would be so, if the young Count _de Gallasch_ was of the same Way of Thinking with his Father, who intended to have had five or six old Hovels belonging to it pull'd down to the ground, by which means he would have had a fine Square.

The Convents of both s.e.xes are another Ornament of this Great City. The House of the Reverend Fathers the Jesuits is one of the most magnificent.

They have lately caused a Church to be built, which is one of the best adorned that I have seen out of _Italy_. If you were but here, we would go together and see all those Buildings. I would carry you first of all to the Cathedral, which is in lesser _Prague_, on the Top of the Hill call'd _Ratschin_, and from thence we would go and take a View of the Castle which is upon the same Hill.

The Metropolitan Church is a very antient Structure, which was burnt down by the _Swedes_, and is only rebuilt in part. Its Magnificence and Beauty consist in the thickness of its Walls and Arches; and the Architecture of this Church is such, that I fancy it would appear _Gothic_ to the very _Goths_ themselves. 'Tis in this Cathedral that the Kings and Queens of _Bohemia_ are consecrated. The Archbishop of _Prague_'s Office is to perform the Unction upon both; but the Abbess of St. _George_, whose Abbey is also upon the Hill of _Ratschin_, is to place the Crown upon the Head of the Queen, and in this Function she is a.s.sisted by the Wives of the Great Officers of the Crown.

In this Metropolitan Church are preserved with great Veneration the Bodies of a couple of Saints extremely dear to the _Bohemians_. The one is St.

_Wenceslaus_ King of _Bohemia_, the other St. _John Nepomucene_. The latter was very lately canonized by Pope _Benedict_ XIII. at the Request of the States of this Kingdom, who were at the whole Expence of the Ceremony, which was performed in the Church of St. _John de Lateran_ at _Rome_ with extraordinary Pomp.

The Story of this Saint is very singular: He was Confessor to the Wife of that cruel Emperor _Wenceslaus_, who was deposed by the Electors. That Prince being jealous of his Queen enjoined St. _John Nepomucene_ to reveal that Princess's Confessions to him. He employed Presents, Prayers and Threats, to persuade the Saint to make this Discovery, but all to no purpose; upon which he caused him to be cast headlong from the Bridge into the River of _Molde_. The Body was seen floating at some distance from the Place, attended with five Stars swimming on the Water; then he was added to the Number of the Saints and Martyrs, and his Corpse was taken out of the River, and carried with Pomp to _Prague_, where it was interr'd in the Church of _Dain_ in the old Town, of which he was a Canon.

His Corpse being found some Years ago, his Tongue appearing to be as fresh as ever, was taken out of his Mouth and put into a Silver Gilt Box; the Body was enclosed in a stately Coffin, and the whole carried with great Ceremony to the Cathedral. An Altar being erected in the middle of the right Wing of the Choir, there the Saint was interr'd in a Tomb of Silver Gilt; and the Tongue put into a sort of Tabernacle where it has wrought and does still work great Miracles. There is a great Concourse of People hither from all Parts to invoke this Saint, whose Tomb is loaded with precious Gifts, and adorned by the Empress with a rich Canopy. But no body has given more ill.u.s.trious Proofs of Devotion to St. _Nepomucene_ than the Prince _de Schwartzenberg_[88] Master of the Horse to the Emperor, and the Count _de Martinitz_ Marshal of the Imperial Court; who both ascribe the Conception of their Wives, and the Birth of their Sons, to the Protection of that Saint, tho' I should have thought all this feasible enough without a Miracle. The Princess _de Schwartzenberg_ had not been married many Years before she had a Daughter[89]; her Husband had not seen her for fourteen Years after this, during which she had no Children. This is no more than common; after they came together again Madam is brought to Bed of a Son, in which tho' there is nothing but what is very natural, yet 'tis cry'd up for a Miracle; the Birth is ascribed to the Devotion which the Princes paid to the Tomb of St. _Nepomucene_ for nine Days together, and to make the Saint some amends, his Tomb and his Altar are adorn'd by a great many Vessels of Silver and Silver gilt.

As to Count _Martinitz_ there seems indeed to be better colour for a Miracle in his favour. He had been married fourteen or fifteen Years, and his Lady never given the least Sign of Teemingness. She was in good plight of body, her Husband liv'd with her, and they went together several times to the Baths of _Carlsbad_, but all had signified nothing. The Count longing pa.s.sionately for a Son had perform'd more than nine days Devotion successively, for he went the last Holy Year to _Loretto_ and to _Rome_.

But Heaven deaf to his Cries granted him no Heir; at last knowing not what Saint to pray to, his Lady propos'd, that they should go and wors.h.i.+p nine days together at the Tomb of St. _Nepomucene_. They set out, they arrive at _Prague_, they prostrate themselves before the sacred Tomb. Soon after, Madame _de Martinitz_ proves with Child, and at nine Months end is delivered of a Son. You may say whatever you please, but such a Favour sure was worth some Lamps of solid Silver before the Saint's Tomb; and the Count _de Martinitz_ full of Zeal and Grat.i.tude has given some that are very magnificent.

The _Bohemians_ have so great confidence in St. _John de Nepomucene_, that they have almost forgot St. _Wenceslaus_ their old Patron. There is no Church where St. _John_ has not a Chapel, no Bridge without his Effigy; every body Gentle and Simple, Men and Women, wear his Picture as if it were the Badge of an Order, hanging to a straw-colour'd Ribbon, and you would swear that all the _Bohemians_ were Knights of St. _Louis_. In short, St. _Nepomucene_ is the only Saint in vogue; and Presents are heap'd upon him to such a degree that if it continues much longer, he will be as rich as our Lady of _Loretto_.

The Palace or Castle which joins to the Cathedral is a great Building composed of several Main Bodies without Symmetry or Architecture. The Apartments are but low and plain, but here is one of the most beautiful Prospects in the World. The great Hall in which the Royal Feast is kept on the Day of the Coronation of the Kings is the largest of the kind, next to the s.p.a.cious Hall of _Westminster_. The Palace-Gardens are large, but have nothing to recommend them besides their Situation. The Tribunals of the Regency meet in the Palace: The first of these consists of Stadtholders who are of the Emperor's Privy Council. They are to the Number of twelve, and represent the Sovereign. Most of them are the great Officers of the Crown. There must be always two of them private Gentlemen to take care of the Interests of the Gentry against the n.o.bility; for you must know that the Princes, Counts, and Barons, who compose the n.o.bility, form a separate Body here, and would think it a Disparagement to be call'd _Gentlemen_; tho' _Henry_ IV. King of _France_ counted it an honour to be the first Gentleman in his Kingdom, and King _Francis_ I. whenever he affirmed a thing, said, _Upon the Word of a Gentleman_.

The Chief of the Council of the Stadtholders is call'd the _Great Burgrave_, whose Dignity is the highest in the Kingdom. He represents the Person of the Emperor, and is inferior to none but the Chancery of _Bohemia_ which always attends the Emperor.

The Bridge over the _Muldaw_ which joins little _Prague_ to the old Town, is one of the longest and most substantial Bridges in _Europe_. It has on both sides the Statues of several Saints, which if they had been done by a better hand, would have prov'd an Ornament. There is a Crucifix also which is pretended to be of Gold, and to have been erected formerly at the Expence of the _Jews_, pursuant to an Order of the Government, as a Punishment for their having crucified a Christian Infant upon _Easter_-Day, to insult the Memory of our Saviour's Death.

The _Jews_ are the only Sectaries that are tolerated in _Bohemia_. There are some _Hussites_ still subsisting, but they keep so close, that the Government does not seem to know that there are any at all. I was a.s.sur'd that in _Prague_ alone there were no less than 80,000 _Jews_; whether there are quite so many, I know not; but 'tis certain they are very numerous. Their Quarter in the old City forms a little separate Town. They have all the Trade in their own hands, follow all sorts of Callings, and by their receiving all old-fas.h.i.+on'd things in Payment, they quite ruin the Christian Handicrafts-men. As these People multiply like Rabbets, 'tis said the Emperor is going to issue an Ordinance prohibiting any but their eldest Sons to marry; the Report of which is so alarming to the _Jews_, that they would advance great Sums to prevent its taking effect.

If we except _Rome_, _Paris_, and _London_, there is no City where there are more Gentry, or a Gentry that is more wealthy: Every body here lives grand; and in no Part of the World do the n.o.bility keep greater State, or take more Pride in their Substance. They are polite and civil to Strangers, whom they know to be Persons of Quality. For my own part, I like them prodigiously, and I can safely say it, I have hardly met with a Foreigner who has not the same Notion of _Prague_ that I have.

There is not a Gentleman in this Country but has seen at least _Holland_, _France_, and _Italy_, and indeed they are under some necessity of travelling, for the Education they have at home is none of the best. But they don't travel as People of their Birth and Fortunes ought to do. They are commonly attended by a sort of Governors, who make it their Profession to ramble abroad with young Gentlemen, and are for the most part _Walloons_, _Luxemburghers_, _Lorrainers_, or _Liegeois_, Soldiers of Fortune, without Education, and without Manners; who think 'tis enough for their Pupils to see Houses and Churches, and having not the Courage or the Capacity to put themselves forward, or even to shew their Heads, don't care that their Gentlemen should keep Company. They tell _young Master_, that my Lord his Father, who put him under their Care, recommended conomy to them; that they might game at a.s.semblies, but that 'tis not well to play while they are travelling: Therefore the Spark is oblig'd to keep in his Quarters, or if he is perhaps permitted to go to the public Shews, even this Pleasure, because it is not to be had without Money, must be taken in Moderation; the Governor's Aim is only to crib all he can, and sink his Pupil's Money into his own Purse. This is so true that I have known some who never eat Suppers, yet always brought them to Accompt; many of 'em get a Profit by every thing they buy, and they make such hard Bargains that 'tis ten to one if they don't chouse the Merchant as well as their Pupil. If the Governor does not like the Place they come to, he must be gone, tho' it were the most proper Town in the World to form the young Gentleman; for the Governor only writes to the Father or Mother that the Air did not agree with their Son, and that therefore he had remov'd him.

The Generality of these wretched Guides maintain that six Weeks or three Months Stay at most is sufficient to know _Paris_; a Fortnight to be thoroughly acquainted with the Genius of the _English_; a Month to know _Rome_; a Week to see _Naples_; and so of the rest: And when they have shewn their Gentleman at _Paris_, the Anatomical Wax-work and the Observatory; at _London_, the Lions in the Tower; at _Rome_, the Catacombs; and at _Naples_, the Liquefaction of St. _Januarius_'s Blood, and Mount _Vesuvius_; they think they have done great matters, and away they go without having made an Acquaintance with one Soul at any of the Courts. They have seen the King of _France_ touch for the Evil; The King of _England_ go to the Parliament-House; and the Pope sitting in his Elbow-Chair, distributing his Benedictions. With a Mind thus adorn'd, the young Man, after eighteen Months or two Years Absence abroad, returns home. The Governor has two or three thousand Florins, and sometimes more as a Gratuity, besides his Stipend. Again, the worthy _Mentor_ makes a Bubble of the Father who trusts his Son with him, and behold now, he is ready for another Tour. One would think that, instead of travelling in this manner, it were better to send abroad for the Plans of all the Towns, I am sure 'twould be cheaper; the Parents would have the comfort to see their Sons at home, and they would also have wherewithal to furnish a little Box in the Country.

There are no People of Quality in the World more addicted to an expensive way of Living than those of _Prague_, which is the Reason that for all their immense Revenues they are sometimes over Head and Ears in Debt; but by good Luck they have a Settlement which prevents them from total Ruin: For most of their Lands are intail'd for ever on the eldest Son of the Family, so that he can neither alienate nor inc.u.mber them without the Consent of the whole Family, and of the King himself, which is a Thing very hard to be obtain'd. When an eldest Son of a Family has squander'd his Freehold, and runs himself more and more in debt, the Creditors, and sometimes the Parents themselves, present a Pet.i.tion to the King and desire a Sequestration. The King after being inform'd of the List of the Debts, and of the _Majorat_ (which is the Name they give here to the Lands that are intail'd) names Trustees for the Administration of the Estates of the Spendthrift, who is allow'd a Pension till all the Debts are paid.

There's another very good Establishment here for securing the Sale of Landed Estates and Mortgages. Every n.o.bleman gives in a Particular of his Estate to a Tribunal which is call'd the _Landtaffel_, where the same is register'd. When a Person wants to borrow Money or to make a Sale, the Lender or the Purchaser has recourse to the _Landtaffel_'s Office, where he sees whether the Lands are inc.u.mber'd; and if the Borrower's Debts don't exceed two Thirds of the Price at which they are rated by the _Landtaffel_, he may lend his Money very safely.

Tho' the _Bohemians_ are brave and good Soldiers, yet they don't love the Service, I mean the Gentry: Most of them prefer the Civil to Military Employments, and a private Life to Posts in the Army or at Court. They are so us'd to be absolute Masters at their Estates where the Peasants are their Slaves, and to be homag'd like Petty Sovereigns by the Burghers at _Prague_, that they don't care to reside at _Vienna_, and to be oblig'd like other Subjects to pay their Court to the Sovereign and the Ministers.

As soon as a Gentleman of _Bohemia_ comes of Age, he is oblig'd to take an Oath of Fidelity to the Emperor as his King; which is a Law as much binding on the n.o.bility as the Gentry; and none of 'em dare to go out of the Kingdom without express Leave from the Emperor, on the Penalty of forfeiting his Estate. When the n.o.blemen are return'd from their Travels to _France_ and _Italy_, they put in to be Chamberlains, not so much for the sake of engaging themselves to Attendance at Court as to procure a Precedency for their Wives, it being a Custom with most of 'em to marry as soon as they come of Age. Afterwards they aim to be Counsellors of State, and Stadtholders, and this is the _Ne plus ultra_ of their Preferments.

The Counsellors of State challenge the t.i.tle of _Excellency_: But this is what those who are not of that Denomination, and of as good Families as themselves, scruple to allow them, so that generally speaking they have it only given them by their Domestics and Dependants. So that one may say of their Excellencies what the d.u.c.h.ess of _Elbuf_ of the _Lorrain_ Family said in _France_ concerning the Princes of _Bouillon_, that they were _Domestic Highnesses_, because none but their own Servants give them the t.i.tle of _Highness_.

Of all the great and wealthy Families, those of _Lobkowitz_, _Kinski_, _Schlick_, _Collobradt_, and _Martinitz_ are the only ones that make a Figure at the Imperial Court. 'Tis true there are several other n.o.blemen at _Vienna_ who have Lands in _Bohemia_, but then their Families are not originally descended from that Kingdom.

The _Kinski_'s Family is actually the most splendid at Court. There are five Brothers of it in Employments. The eldest is the Great Chancellor of _Bohemia_[90]. The second who is call'd Count _Stephen_, is Great Marshal of _Bohemia_, a Minister of State, and the Emperor's Amba.s.sador at the Court of _France_[91]. The third, Count _Philip_, is the Emperor's Minister Plenipotentiary to _Great Britain_; and the two youngest are in the Army, where one of them is a Lieutenant-Colonel. Count _Philip_ was sent Amba.s.sador when but twenty nine Years old. He has demonstrated by his Conduct that Wisdom does not always stay for Age, and that he is the worthy Son of one of the greatest Ministers that[92] the Emperors _Leopold_ and _Joseph_ ever had. The City of _Prague_ is a very great Loser by his Absence, for he liv'd there with Splendor, and his House was always open, particularly to Foreigners. For my own part I receiv'd such Civilities there as I shall never forget.

As I have told you that the n.o.bility of _Bohemia_ are the richest in the Empire, I must also acquaint you that the Peasants there are miserable to the last degree; their Persons, and all they have, are at the Command of their Lord. The poor Wretches have often not a Bit of Bread to eat, in a Country which is one of the most plentiful in _Europe_ for all sorts of Provisions. They dare not go from one Village to another to work, nor learn a Handicraft without their Lord's Consent. So much Subjection keeps the poor Creatures always trembling and humble, so that if you do but speak to 'em they are ready to lick the Dust off your Feet. The Severity with which these People are us'd is really terrible, but 'tis as true on the other hand, that gentle Usage has no Effect upon 'em; for they are excessively lazy and stubborn, and being moreover us'd to harsh Treatment from Generation to Generation, Blows scarce terrify them, tho' tis the only way to make 'em good for any thing.

The _Bohemians_ have a great many Talents for Music, so that there's no Village, be it ever so small, but the Ma.s.s is sung in Concert, and they are very happy at winding the Hunters Horn.

'Tis certain that this Kingdom is one of the best Countries in the Emperor's possession, and next to _Hungary_, brings him in most Money.

_Bohemia_ is a Country of States, whom the Emperor as King of it, summons every Year to the City of _Prague_. They consist of the Clergy, n.o.bility, Gentry, and Towns. The a.s.sembly is open'd by a Commissioner of the Emperor's Nomination, who lays before them his Imperial Majesty's Demands.

The States, such is their Submission and Zeal, grant the full Demand which is commonly a very great Sum; yet for all this, the _Bohemians_ wou'd not complain of Taxes if the Emperor resided among them, but they are sorry to see their Country exhausted to enrich the _Austrians_ to whom they have a natural Aversion, and the _Austrians_ as heartily hate the _Bohemians_.

I own to you I shall be sorry to leave _Prague_. I take the _Bohemians_ to be the best People upon Earth, and _Prague_ to be one of those Towns of the Empire where a Gentleman may have most choice of Company. The Ladies here are very amiable. Gaming, which may be call'd the universal Pleasure, is carry'd as high here as they please in Houses of the Quality, where a.s.semblies of both s.e.xes are held every Night, with good Cheer, particularly Pheasants and Ortolans in plenty; and upon Fish-Days, there are Trouts, Salmon, and Cray-Fish; and that there may be nothing wanting, _Bohemia_ likewise furnishes good Wine. At the Estate of the young Count _Tschernin_ at _Melneg_, there is a red sort not inferior to _Burgundy_.

Of all these good Things many partake together, and for my part I own I am taken more with this Pleasure than any other, because we make it last as long as we will, and then 'tis suited to all Ages.

There is a tolerable _Italian Opera_ here. In Winter they have Races in stately Sledges: There is great Masquerading, and they dance till they are ready to drop to the ground: For this end there are public b.a.l.l.s which are extraordinary splendid, and might be compar'd, if any can be compar'd, with the b.a.l.l.s at the _Hay-Market_ in _London_.

In the Summer-Time when there is not so much Company in Town, these a.s.semblies are thinner. The Gentry meet at Night in a Garden belonging to the Prince _de Schwartzenberg_, where they game, chat, and walk up and down, after which they always go to some House or other to sup. When one has a mind to go to the Country, we are sure of a good Reception, and the longer one stays the greater Pleasure one gives to the Master of the House. Here they pa.s.s the Time in Hunting of all sorts. Many of the n.o.bility keep Packs of Hounds, and others Hawks. The Generality keep Musicians in their Service, so that let the Weather be what it will, one may be always amused in this Country. Besides, one enjoys all the Freedom here that can be. After this, Sir, can you blame me for being sorry to leave _Bohemia_? But 'tis what I'm now preparing to do, and I purpose to go to _Vienna_. You will be so good as to let me have a Line from you there; for to be plain with you, to write three Letters for one is too hard. 'Tis true that your's are of inestimable Value, and that therefore you are in the right not to be lavish of them; but the same Reason justifies me in desiring them. Adieu, Sir: Love me always a little, and be a.s.sur'd that no Man is more than I, _&c._

[Ill.u.s.tration]